Nonrotating kelly sections are shown in a drilling device in U.S. Pat. No. 1,971,922. The weight of the device, which does not have a power downcrowding mechanism, forces the auger into the ground.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,216,511 shows a crawler track vehicle with a drop hammer on the end of the boom.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,426,857 shows a drilling device with a single kelly bar supported from the end of a boom of a track type vehicle. The single kelly bar slides through a housing of a rotatable guide which rotates the kelly bar. The rotatable guide is supported frame attached to the lower portion of the boom. No means of downcrowding is provided. Another rig with telescoping kelly sections is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,753,468. The outer kelly section slides axially within a guidance sleeve supported at its top end by the free end of the boom and at its bottom end by a hydraulic cylinder attached to the track type vehicle. Telescopic sections and control are also described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,035,969.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,137,974 shows telescoping kelly sections driven by a rotary table. The housing of the rotary table is mounted at the lower end of relatively tall derrick. The kelly sections when retracted are surrounded by the derrick structure. Downcrowding is achieved by a mechanism which includes a drum having two cables wound in opposite senses thereon. The drum is hydraulically driven. A pulley system is mounted on the top of the derrick and another pulley system is mounted on the top of the outer kelly section. The pulley systems and the derrick would make it difficult to interchange the kelly sections since free access to the top of the kelly sections is not possible in such a rig.
An augering device mounted on a backhoe is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,199,033. The downward force exerted by the boom of the backhoe drives the auger into the ground. A trunnion device mounted between the end of the boom and the augering device allows a variety of angles of the auger relative to the backhoe.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,627,499 shows a drilling device supported on the end of a boom of a track type vehicle. The drilling device is of the drill mast type with a single kelly bar which slides through a housing of a final drive unit. The axis of the mast and kelly bar appear to be the same. Because the mast is directly over the kelly bar a relatively high overhead or ceiling is required for drilling vertical holes.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,645,084 discloses a device for drilling holes mounted in the side panels of a truck bed. A hydraulic jack is used to downcrowd the casing relative to the elbow.
A more useful downcrowdable augering apparatus having kelly sections is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,877,091. The apparatus of U.S. Pat. No. 4,877,091 is very useful in sites having low overhead or ceiling. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,877,091 the kelly rotating means is bolted directly to the outer kelly section and as a consequence the outer kelly section is not permitted to slide through the kelly rotating means. Since the top of the kelly assembly is closed changing and/or replacing the kelly sections is more difficult than if the top of the outer kelly section were open.
Another useful downcrowdable augering apparatus having kelly sections is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,746,277 which is concerned with making such apparatus and rigs readily adaptable to mounting on a wide variety of vehicles ranging from light truck beds a to large track type vehicles including caterpillar type machines. The invention facilitates maintenance and changing of kelly assemblies by its unobstructed access to the top of the kelly assembly. For example the top of the kelly assembly is free of rotary drive mechanisms and pulleys associated therewith. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,877,091 and 5,746,277 are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Non-limiting examples of vehicles in which the augering means of this invention can be used are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,199,033 and 5,746,277 for backhoes and light trucks, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,216,511, U.S. Pat. No. 4,627,499 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,877,091 for crawler vehicles with rotatable booms.
In the present invention the excavation apparatus does not require a winch for letting out and retracting the cable. Nor does the present invention require a reel for storing the retracted cable. Since this invention does not require a winch, it also does not require a motor to drive a winch. Accordingly, the excavation apparatus of this invention is not as heavy. This simplification and other improvements in construction allow this invention to be cheaper to manufacture, maintain and use.
The present invention is directed to an excavation apparatus which can be adapted to a variety of vehicles including smaller excavating machines such as backhoes and small trucks. The excavation apparatus can be quickly and easily connected and disconnected to vehicles by a one or two persons with a minimum of tools thereby allowing such vehicles to be converted as needed. For example, the smaller rear bucket on backhoes can quickly removed and the excavation apparatus of this invention installed in place of the rear bucket in about twenty minutes including the required hydraulic lines.
Accordingly, there is provided by the principles of the present invention an excavation apparatus comprising kelly assembly means having a kelly assembly housing, an outer kelly section, and an extendable inner kelly section adaptable for attachment of a tool. The excavation apparatus includes kelly rotation means for rotating the kelly sections relative to the kelly assembly housing, support means for supporting the kelly rotation means and the kelly assembly means, frame means for allowing the kelly assembly housing to slide relative to the frame means in a direction parallel to the axis of the kelly assembly means, and downcrowd means for downcrowding the support means relative to the frame means.
The downcrowd means has a first end connected to and supported by the frame means, and a second end connected to and supporting the support means.
The excavation apparatus also includes kelly deployment and retraction means for deploying the extendable inner kelly section out of the kelly assembly housing and for retracting the extendable inner kelly section back into the kelly assembly housing. The kelly deployment and retraction means has at least one kelly extension sheave supported by the frame means, and a cable having a first end attached to the extendable inner kelly section and a second end attached directly or indirectly to either the support means or the frame means depending on the total number of kelly extension sheaves. The cable is looped alternatively under and over said at least one kelly extension sheave. The downcrowd means also serves as means for letting out and retracting the cable, thereby enabling the excavation apparatus to function without a winch for letting out and retracting the cable and without a reel for storing the retracted cable.
In one embodiment, the kelly assembly means has a kelly assembly housing, a non-extendable outer kelly section, and at least one extendable kelly section which includes an innermost kelly section adaptable for attachment of a tool thereto. In this embodiment, the kelly deployment and retraction means deploys the extendable kelly sections out of the kelly assembly housing and retracts the extendable inner kelly sections back into the kelly assembly housing.
In one embodiment, the kelly assembly means includes at least one extendable middle kelly section disposed between the innermost kelly section and the outer and non-extendable kelly section.
In another embodiment, the kelly assembly means includes at least guide rail means attached on an outside wall of the kelly assembly housing, and the frame means includes at least bearing channel means effective for sliding along the guide rail means and preventing rotation of the kelly assembly housing relative to the frame means.
In still another embodiment, the kelly rotation means includes at least a kelly drive shroud for rotatably driving the outer kelly section. In a further embodiment, the excavation apparatus includes rotary motor means for driving the kelly rotation means, and in a preferred embodiment, the excavation apparatus including two rotary motors for driving the kelly rotation means.
In one embodiment, the kelly assembly housing is attached to and supported by the support means.
In one embodiment, the downcrowd means is hydraulically powered. In another embodiment, the downcrowd means includes a multistage hydraulic cylinder.
In one embodiment, the kelly deployment and retraction means includes at least redirect cable support means for directing the cable between the innermost kelly section and a kelly extension sheave. In a further embodiment, the kelly deployment and retraction means also includes at least one kelly extension sheave rotatably supported by the support means. In a still further embodiment, the cable is looped over the kelly extension sheave rotatably supported by the support means.
In another embodiment, said at least one kelly extension sheave includes a plurality of lower kelly extension sheaves rotatably supported by the frame means and a plurality of upper kelly extension sheaves rotatably supported by the support means. In a further embodiment, the cable is alternately deployed under lower, and over upper, kelly extension sheaves.
In one embodiment, the second end of the cable is attached directly or indirectly to the support means if the total number of lower and upper sheaves is an odd number. In another embodiment, the second end of the cable is attached directly or indirectly to the frame means if the total number of extension sheaves is an even number. In still another embodiment, the plurality of lower kelly extension sheaves is four and the plurality of upper kelly extension sheaves is three.
In one embodiment, the frame means includes vehicle-connection means for connecting to a distal end of the boom means of a vehicle. In a further embodiment, wherein the vehicle has both a boom means and associated tilt means, the frame means includes both boom-connection means for connecting to a distal end of the boom member, and tilt-connection means for connecting to a distal end of the tilt means.
In one embodiment, the excavation apparatus further includes hydraulically powered rotary motor means for driving the kelly rotation means. In a further embodiment, wherein the vehicle has a hydraulic system, the excavation apparatus includes means for hydraulically connecting the vehicle""s hydraulic system to the hydraulically powered rotary motor means. In a still further embodiment, where there is a need to use vehicle with multiple excavation tools, the means for hydraulically connecting the vehicle""s hydraulic system to the hydraulically powered rotary motor means includes quick connect hydraulic means.
In one embodiment, the downcrowd means is hydraulically powered. In a further embodiment, wherein the vehicle has a hydraulic system, the excavation apparatus further includes means for hydraulically connecting the vehicle""s hydraulic system to the hydraulically powered downcrowd means. In a still further embodiment, the means for hydraulically connecting the vehicle""s hydraulic system to the hydraulically powered downcrowd means includes quick connect hydraulic means.
In another embodiment, the excavation apparatus is for removable and pivotable attachment to boom means of an excavation machine. In a further embodiment, wherein the boom means of the excavation machine has a front boom hinged to a back boom, the boom-connection means of the frame means of the excavation apparatus is pivotally connected to a distal end of the front boom.
The excavation machines to which the excavation apparatus of this invention are especially useful can be selected from the group consisting of backhoes, including backhoes having a boom extension member. However, this invention can also be used on pick-up trucks and other lighter weight vehicles adapted with an arm effective for connecting to the boom-connection means of the excavation apparatus.